Indian diplomat faces arrest if she returns to United States

NEW YORK, March 15 (UPI) -- An Indian diplomat who left the United States after being charged with violating labor laws has been re-indicted by federal prosecutors in New York.

The indictment filed Friday charges Devyani Khobragade with telling immigration officials on a visa application for her housekeeper that she was paying the Indian woman $500 a month, the Washington Post reported. She was allegedly actually paid $3 an hour.

Khobragade's arrest in December caused tension between India and the United States. U.S. prosecutors say that at the time she had diplomatic immunity that only covered official actions.

By the time she was indicted in January, Khobragade had been appointed a counselor to India's permanent U.N. mission. A judge threw out the indictment Monday, ruling it was invalid because she had full diplomatic immunity.

Khobragade now works for the Indian Department of External Affairs in New Delhi. Federal prosecutors said an arrest warrant was issued Friday and she will be detained if she returns to the United States.

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